Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster and sent his ministers to the west of Colombia to coordinate rescue operations in response to a 7.4M earthquake. Following an emergency meeting at disaster management agency UNGRD, De la Espriella said he would travel to Pereira, one of the worst hit cities, to further coordinate the government response. De la Espriella canceled plans he had to visit La Guajira, a northern province that wasn’t affected by the earthquake. More than 110 people were killed and dozens were injured because of the earthquake, De la Espriella said at a press conference. According to the Colombian Geological Service, the earthquake was the strongest in Colombia of the past decade and the strongest in the west of the country since 1979.